Head Coach Ladan Bosso has invited 39 players to camp in Abuja for the Flying Eagles’ final preparations for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Argentina.
The Flying Eagles, who finished third at the Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations in Egypt in March, are one of Africa’s four representatives, alongside Senegal, The Gambia and Tunisia.
All the invited players have been told to report in Abuja on Sunday, with training sessions due to commence on Monday.
The competition was earlier scheduled for Indonesia, until world football governing body FIFA was forced to move it to Argentina.
It is scheduled for May 20 to June 11.
ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS:
Goalkeepers: Nathaniel Nwosu (Water FC); Chijioke Aniagboso (Giant Brillars); Saheed Jimoh (B. E. Arena Academy); John Otomblon (Mavlon FC)
Defenders: Augustine Njoku (Abia Warriors); Ezekiel Bala; Muhammad Abdulsalam (Rising Stars); Solomon Agbalaka (Broad City FC); Israel Domingo (Family Worship FC)
Benjamin Frederick (Nasarawa United); Femi Abubakar (Madiba FC); Daniel Bameyi (Yum Yum FC); Wisdom Udoh (Akwa United); Akinwale Akanbi (Lionheart FC)
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Midfielders: Caleb Uchedikwu (Mavlon FC); Ogbelu Onuche (Nasarawa United); Daniel Daga (Dakkada FC): Samson Lawal (Pro-Success Academy); Bilyaminu Musa (Mailafia FC)
Hitler Eniye (36 Lion FC); Muhammad Aminu (Gombe United); John Joshua (Nasarawa United); Musa Usman (Mailantarki FC); Ibrahim Abdullahi (Samba FC)
…promises world-class marathon
…Participants win big
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has received cheers and commendations from residents of the state for actively participating in the 2024 Coal City Half Marathon held in the state’s capital on Saturday.
This was even as the governor promised that his administration was working towards strengthening and improving subsequent marathons in the state by making it attractive enough for international athletes to participate as a world-class sporting event.
Governor Mbah, who joined in the 21.79km half marathon, which kicked off at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, stated that the event would serve as an opportunity to discover young talents and for all sports lovers as well as the elderly to keep fit and live a healthy lifestyle.
He said his administration was keen on sustaining and consolidating the huge success recorded in this year’s marathon through the right investment in the development of the sports industry in the areas of sporting infrastructure and facilities, adding that the state saw sports as business and source of wealth creation for the people.
“We’re investing hugely in our sports sector, and we’re not only treating sports as leisure or recreation, but we’re also seeing the sports industry as key business. That’s why in addition to quickly returning the pitch, once we came in, to enable Rangers International return to the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, we just awarded the contract to renovate and overhaul our stadium and bring it to world-class standard.
“You also know that in that sector, we’ve just recently entered a memorandum of understanding to build a world-class entertainment and sports centre and this is all going to reinforce our position in the sports industry,” he added.
While congratulating the participants, who came from over 20 states across the country, the governor stressed that the goal of the event was to promote unity, discipline and cooperation amongst Nigerians, saying in a few years, the state would join the league of world athletics competitions because of the level of investments the administration was committing to the industry.
“What is even more important is the desire of the state to take the Enugu State Marathon event to the next level. In few years, I want you to note that the Enugu State Marathon is going to be part of the world international athletic events. Just as you have the Boston Marathon, the London Marathon, you’ll also have the Enugu Marathon in the international athletics calendar,” he added.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Barr Lloyd Ekweremadu, explained that part of the goals of the marathon was to continue to foster the culture of sports and fitness, which engenders healthy development.
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He expressed satisfaction over the success of the event, saying participants from other states were happy about the hospitality and the excellent works the governor was doing in the state through his infrastructural drive.
Commending the Zenith Bank PLC for partnering with the State Ministry of Youth and Sports, the commissioner maintained that this year’s event couldn’t have been possible without the support of the governor, community patrons, and other businesses.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of prizes to the winners of this year’s Marathon. Francis James, Israel Sadjo, and Nenfort Mathias clinched the sum of ₦1,000,000, ₦500,000 and ₦300,000 as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places respectively in the male category, while Patience Dahyop, Agofurb Charity and Munitikat Emmanuel also clinched the same amounts as the winner, 1st and 2nd runners up, respectively, in the female category
Nigeria’s Super Falcons are through to the football event of the 2024 Olympic Games after a 0-0 draw in the second leg of qualifiers against South Africa in Pretoria.
The qualification came after 16-year absence from the competition.
The Coach Randy Waldrum-led side secured qualification on Tuesday after seeing out a goalless draw against Bayana Bayana of South Africa to win 1-0 on aggregate.
The second leg played on Tuesday evening in Pretoria ended in a goalless draw as the spirited Falcons ensured Nigeria qualified for her first Olympic games since 2008–a historic feat for the nation’s female football team.
Nigeria were resolute in defence to resist all goalscoring opportunities which the South African team initiated to score a goal.
The Falcons had secured a 1-0 win over the Banyana Banyana in the first leg of the fixture played at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Friday.
A first half penalty by Rasheedat Ajibade was enough to place the Falcons on the right pedestal on Friday as Coach Randy Waldrum’s girls secured an important advantage that sealed their qualification.
Uchenna Kanu came close to breaking the deadlock in Pretoria but her effort from the right was deflected for a corner by a South African defender while Chiamaka Nnadozie was confident in goal for the Falcons.
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The Falcons, who reached the quarter-final at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, have now qualified for the women’s football event for the first time since 2008.
They lost in the third round of qualifiers in 2016 (Rio, Brazil) and 2020(Tokyo, Japan) to Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast respectively.
An Argentinian female football player has been found strangled to death by her ex-husband, who later committed suicide after killing her.
Florencia Guinazu, 30, who played for Argentino de Mendoza, was found beaten and strangled inside the room she shared with former partner Ignacio Agustín Notto.
Following the incident, a note was left in the window which alerted neighbours to the horrors they would find inside, which read: ‘Call 911. The children are alone.’
According to O Globo, Notto wrote the note after killing Guinazu, before taking his own life shortly afterwards.
Throughout the attack, their two sons, aged five and seven, were left playing PlayStation in the main room of the apartment.
Reports claim that the eldest son knocked on the master bedroom door, where the murder took place, but it was locked from the inside and no one was answering.
He later went to the complex’s courtyard before a neighbour eventually read the note and called the police, who arrived on the scene shortly after.
After breaking down the door to the master bedroom, authorities found Guinazu lying on the floor, amid stains of blood. Notto was also in the room, having taken his own life.
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The autopsy determined, according to the statement released on Monday, that the victim died of asphyxiation due to strangulation.
The incident comes just five months after Noto was the subject of a complaint from Guinazu, who asked for him to leave their home in November 2023.
The Mendoza Homicide and Institutional Violence Prosecutor’s Unit sent a press release on Monday, which read: ‘There has not been, from that date until what happened on Saturday, any complaint of violation of the prohibition of approach issued.’
Guinazu’s club took to Instagram to post a message regarding the murder. They said: ‘Florencia Guinazu was a player in the First Division of Women’s Soccer 11 of the Club Atlético Argentino.